Customs Broker Alfred Burin, Called the Oldest Working Man in U.S., Dies

Alfred Burin, a customs broker for 84 years who has been called the oldest working man in the United States, has died at the age of 100.

Burin, who died at his Manhattan home Sunday, started at Globe Shipping Co. in his native Germany as a clerk when he was 16. He rose to president and chairman of the board of the company, now based in Jersey City, N.J.

He worked five days a week until he was 99, then cut back to four days until his retirement in September.

“Without work, life isn’t worth living,” Burin said at an office party when he turned 100 in March, a birthday he also celebrated on NBC’s “The Today Show.”

He said then that his recipe for longevity included an after-work shot of Scotch--”No water, no ice. Straight whiskey.”--and “a straight life. No fooling around . . . you know what I mean.”

Burin retired as Globe president a decade ago. He put aside the day-to-day decisions involved in his license by the Custom Service to clear goods and prevent contraband shipments but continued as a broker for the company, taking a taxi to work from Manhattan.

His wife, Mabel, died last year at 95.